Fisher, a white student from Sugar Land who was denied admission to UT in 2008, claims the school's admissions policy violates the Constitution's equal protection clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Michael Morton, president of the Senate of College Councils at UT, said he supports the university's inclusion of race as “one of the aspects of the holistic review.”

“The diversity on campus is a tremendous part of the UT experience, because we have so many ethnicities, religions and different ways of thinking that it makes the community more rich and valuable,” Morton said. “It provides a much greater perspective and outlook on the world we live in.”

Morton said the policy does not result in unfair outcomes for white students.

White students make up more than half of the UT enrollment of more than 52,000, while 4 percent are African-American and nearly 18 percent are Hispanic, according to university statistics.

“If you are a white student, like myself, and you are qualified to go to UT-Austin, then you will be admitted,” Morton said. “If you are not qualified, as in the case of Abigail Fisher, then you won't be.”

Cedric Bandoh, student government president at the University of Houston, said he supports UT's admission policy, but he said denying or granting a student admission solely based on race is wrong.

“If you want to be successful in a globally competitive world, then you have to be able to understand and work with all different types of people,” Bandoh said. “Employers are looking to graduates who embrace diversity.”

The University of Houston is ranked second in the nation in campus ethnic diversity, according to the U.S. News & World Report. Bandoh said not all universities are as fortunate to have such a diverse pool of applicants, so universities such as UT, should be able to employ methods to recruit a more representative population.

On the other hand, Zaira Rodriguez, president of the student body of Texas A&M–San Antonio, said UT's policy is unfair for students “who aren't the race the university is looking for.”

Rodriguez said UT's admission policy has been successful in making its campus more diverse, but it remains unfair to accept a person “just because they are Hispanic and have good grades.”

“Diversity on campus is essential, but it isn't something that should be forced or manufactured,” Rodriguez said.

The Supreme Court previously has ruled that “racial diversity” is a valid goal in higher education and college officials may try to advance that goal if race is not the decisive factor by itself.